Huawei has used its unusual PaperMatte screen technology on a pair of new tablets. For those who aren’t familiar with it, a PaperMatte screen is specially etched to provide a low reflection, anti-glare viewing experience similar to paper. It reduces eye strain and makes using the tablet for longer periods more comfortable. For the top new model, the PaperMatte screen can reach a maximum brightness of 2,000nits, making it the brightest tablet screen on the market according to Huawei.
There are two new PaperMatte-equipped tablets. The MatePad Pro 12.2 — which was announced in China recently — has a 12.2-inch Tandem OLED screen on the front, and a choice of a basic black or a Premium Gold finish on the rear panel, which has a silky texture inspired by natural fabric fibers. The tablet weighs 508 grams and is just 5.5mm thick with a 4.6mm bezel around the screen, giving a 92% screen-to-body ratio.
A 10,000mAh battery powers the tablet and inside the box is Huawei’s Glide keyboard accessory, plus the screen is compatible with Huawei’s M Pencil stylus. The keyboard weighs 420 grams, so the entire package is less than 1kg, making it lighter than most thin laptops. The black version costs 700 British pounds (about $930) and has 256GB of storage space, while the Premium Gold model has 512GB of storage and costs 800 pounds (about $1,083).
Huawei’s second new tablet is the MatePad 12 X, which again uses the PaperMatte screen technology but only reaches 1,000 nits brightness. The 12-inch screen has a 2800 x 1840 pixel resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and it supports Huawei’s M Pencil stylus, so it’s far from a basic model. Equipped with six speakers it’s suited to watching video, and it comes in a selection of different colors. Both tablets will come with Huawei’s new GoPaint app. The MatePad 12 X comes with 512GB of storage space, and also has a keyboard case in the box. It costs 550 pounds, or around $730.
Huawei’s tablets enter a crowded space, occupied not only by some excellent Apple iPad models, but also a range of tempting Android tablets too. Like Huawei’s phones, the new MatePad tablets do not have Google Play installed, which does limit their appeal.
